Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of attempting to take over Muthaiga Golf Club, following a dispute between the club and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) over a section of the golf course.
Gachagua, who is the leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), said he had been contacted by members of Muthaiga Golf Club who expressed concern over the presence of senior KFS officials at the facility.
He alleged that the officials arrived at the club accompanied by dogs and declared part of the golf course to be within the boundaries of Karura Forest.
The dispute emerged after KFS claimed that approximately 21.8 hectares of the land associated with the golf club fall within the legally gazetted Karura Forest. The agency has cited historical survey and land records dating back decades in support of its position.
Muthaiga Golf Club, meanwhile, has disputed the takeover and temporarily closed eight holes, covering holes two to nine, as the two sides seek to resolve the matter.
In his statement, Gachagua accused Ruto of expanding what he described as an appetite for land from public property to privately held land.
“Your appetite for land has now surpassed public land; you have now turned to private land,” Gachagua said.
He also invoked the history of Muthaiga Golf Club, arguing that successive administrations had respected the facility since its establishment before independence.
According to Gachagua, former presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta did not interfere with the golf club.
“Kenyans need to be reminded that Muthaiga Golf Club has been in existence since before independence,” he said, while accusing the current administration of attempting to interfere with the facility.
Gachagua further warned KFS officials involved in the dispute that they could face consequences after the 2027 General Election.
He also alleged that other golf courses across the country were being targeted, although he did not provide specific evidence or identify the facilities.
KFS has maintained that the dispute is fundamentally a question of land ownership and forest boundaries. The agency has said historical records indicate that part of the contested parcel lies within Karura Forest and that the competing claims should be addressed through formal engagement.
The former deputy president assured members of Muthaiga Golf Club and other golfers that his political movement would oppose what he described as attempts to take over private or public land.